ACAI (a-sigh-ee)

"Superfruit" is meant to imply nutrient richness with medical research results indicating potential health benefits, combined with uncommon but appealing taste, pigmentation, and antioxidant strength.

An alternative to the indiscriminate harvesting of the hearts of palm is the use of the berries which yield a crop biannually. Berry harvesting contributes to the local economy of the rainforest while saving the life of the trees.

In a study of three traditional Caboclo populations in the Amazon region of Brazil, Acai palm was described as the most important plant species because the fruit makes up such a major component of diet (up to 42% of the total food intake by weight) and is economically valuable in the region (Murrieta et al., 1999).

The juice and pulp of Acai fruits (Euterpe oleracea) are frequently used in various juice blends, smoothies, sodas, and other beverages. In northern Brazil, Acai is traditionally served in cuias with tapioca and sometimes sugar. Acai has become a fad in southern Brazil where it is consumed cold as açai na tigela ("Acai in the bowl"). Acai juice, blends and pulp powder are no longer limited to the Amazon region, but are now part of the worldwide industries of functional foods and nutraceuticals for which Acai is often categorized as a superfruit.

As Acai deteriorates rapidly after harvest, its raw material is generally only available outside the immediate growing region as juice or fruit pulp that has been frozen, dried, or freeze-dried.

The Acai Berry is a rather small, round, and black-looking purple. It resembles a grape or a blueberry, but is yet smaller and darker. This fruit has a large seed and minimum amount of pulp. The Acai fruit berry is now broadly used in energy juices, ice cream, certain energy bars with granola. 

Acai has been used for many generations by the natives of Brazil. Acai boasts 10 times the antioxidant benefits of grapes and twice that of blueberries and is very effective in such areas: 

*  Antioxidant
*  Antibacterial
*  Anti-inflammatory                                        
*  Antimutagenic
*  Cardiovascular System
   
Due to the high antixoxidant content, the Acai berry is known as one of the most powerful of the anti-aging foods.

To obtain a healthy Acai, the most vital aspect is the swiftness in the time frame between the growing and the processing. The Acai berry fruit is extremely rich in antocianine, an antioxidation substance which assists in combatting free radicals and cholesterol. In addition for being recognized as one of the “Richest foods in iron” the Acai fruit is rich in fibers that makes it highly recommended for people suffering problems in their digestive organs.

The fiber content is approximately 44% of the total fruit mass, making it one of the most fiber rich fruits.

The fruit pulp also has very good antibacterial properties, resulting in wide use as an astringent in South America. All of the above nutrients makes Acai one of the most concentrated source of nutrients you can get in a fruit form.

A University of Florida study found that Acai contains antioxidants that destroyed cultured human cancer cells. University of Florida was one of the first to investigate the fruit’s purported benefits. "This was only a cell-culture model and we don’t want to give anyone false hope. We are encouraged by the findings, however. Compounds that show good activity against cancer cells in a model system are most likely to have beneficial effects in our bodies" the study noted.